When There Are No More Tears
by IcyFire123
Summary: **CH 2 UP** Draco/Hermione. It's seven years after Hogwarts and everyone has gone their own separate ways. Hermione Granger is in desperate need of money, and it just so happens that Draco Malfoy has plenty of it. What will happen when their paths cross?
1. It's One Small World

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here!!! Don't sue me!!!!

A/N: Um…what should I say? I got sorta bored during writing my other story and I came up with this idea…so…I decided to write it. Um…please review and tell me what you think of it. Oh yeah, this is rated PG-13 for language…but I don't think it's that bad.

~

When There Are No More Tears

Chapter 1

"No, five million is _not_ enough!" Draco Malfoy yelled into the telephone and stood up angrily from his luxurious black leather chair. "I'm selling you my company's _best_ electronical software and all you have to offer is _five million_?"

"No, I want _twice_ that! It's ten million or forget it! And if- "

Before he could utter any more threats to the man on the phone, a very young and tired looking woman burst into the room. Draco looked up with venom in his eyes and covered the phone with his hand.

"What the hell? Can't you see I'm in the middle of a very important deal here?"

"Got an urgent call from a Gregory Goyle. Claims to be your friend. He's on line two," she said before she turned and stomped out of the office, shutting the door very loudly behind her.

_Fuck._

Draco uncovered the phone and began talking into it. "We're not done yet. Call me back in 5 minutes."

With his left index finger, he reached out and pressed the flashing red button that said "line 2" and took a deep breath.

"Yes?"

"Have you found the ring yet?"

"No."

"Any new developments at all?"

"No. What about the others?"

"Nothing. Nobody's got anything."

"How are we sure it's even here at all? I've been stationed here for six years and there still has been nothing! Nothing at all!"

"The Locator Charm says it's here - in the U.S."

"The U.S is the fourth largest country in the world! It's not likely that we'll ever find it!"

"We _must_ find it. It is the only way he can regain his soul."

"I'll keep trying."

"And by the way, Nott's been restationed. He's in Seattle now, acting as a real estate agent."

"Why the hell'd they restation him?"

"They figured that Reno was a small city and there probably wasn't any chance that the ring would be there."

Before Draco could reply, the "line 1" button began flashing. "I've got another, call, I'll talk to you later."

Draco hung up on line two and pressed the line one button, expecting it to be the irritating, cheap, computer software dealer that he had been talking to earlier. He prepared himself to be annoyed.

"This is Draco Malfoy."

"Draco!" Draco recognized the voice. It belonged to his father, Lucius.

"Father! It's been a while. How are y-"

"Draco, listen!"

"What's wrong?"

"Fudge, that great idiot of a minister, wants to see New York. And he informed me by owl just yesterday saying that since I was such a great patron of the Ministry, and since I had a son who was a rich CEO in New York, he was going to stay at your home."

"Fudge? Here? At my home? Are you joking?"

"Are we laughing?"

"Alright, let him do what he wants. He can stay here. It won't cause such a big problem and it'll earn more of his trust."

"But…listen, Draco." His voice sounded urgent.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you remember six years ago when we first disguised you as a computer software company CEO?"

"What does my disguise have to do with anything?"

"Well, you see," Lucius said uneasily. "We didn't want too much suspicion, so we wrote in your files that you were happily married in the States and expecting a child."

"What the hell'd you do that for?"

"Well, we had to make up a reason for you to be living as a muggle in the U.S! So, we just said that you had fallen in love with a muggle who lived there and wanted to stay in New York and live as a muggle with her."

"A muggle? Father, a _muggle_? That's absolutely…disgusting!"

"And people are more trusting of people with families and loved ones! This way, the ministry will be less suspicious of our activities!"

"So what you're telling me, is that he's expecting me to have a wife and a whole family? Is that what you're telling me?"

"Unfortunately, yes. And if he finds out that we've been lying about you in your files, that means he'll become suspicious. And if-"

"-that happens all our hard work would be over."

"Yes, Draco. Just because the thickheaded Ministry didn't realize six years ago that we sent twenty three people connected to the dark arts to the States for absolutely no reason at all, doesn't mean that they won't find out! And then when they find out about the ring…"

"… we'll all be sent to Azkaban and the Dark Lord will never be revived. So what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Find a family."

"Find a family? What the bloody hell do you mean by that?"

"Find somebody with a kid who'll pretend to be your wife."

"Who the hell would do that?"

"Somehow, somewhere. I'm sure you'll find someone desperate enough to help you."

"When's Fudge coming?"

There was a pause. "He want to come the 27th."

"This month? That's two weeks away! How'm I supposed to find -"

"Draco, whatever you do, just make it work!"

"What other options do I have?"

"Well, if you found the ring…that would change things."

"Alright, alright, I'll do what I can."

"And Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"No mistakes. We can't afford any."

There was a small click and then Draco heard the dial tone. He buried his face in his hands and tried to think of what he could do. Just at that moment, the office door swung open and there stood the woman who had been there earlier, to inform him of a call.

"What the fuck is it now?"

The woman approached him slowly and held out two pieces of paper in front of him. "I'm quiting."

He grabbed the pieces of paper out of her hand and scanned it with his eyes. "Letter of resignation?"

"You can't just do this, McCowen!" He stuck the papers in the paper shredder on his desk and the two of them watched the shreds of paper fall into the waste basket.

The woman, Trisha McCowen shrugged. "I'm sick and tired of this. You treat me like shit. This isn't the kind of environment I want to work in. I'm leaving and I'm _not_ coming back tomorrow and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Fine." Draco said, realizing that a he could just find another person to fill in her job. "But call in Rogers on the way out, will you?"

She didn't answer, but just merely walked out of his office and didn't even close the door. Five minutes later, an older looking man knocked on the fully opened door. Draco looked up and saw Rogers.

"Did you need anything?"

"Yes, run an ad in every newspaper. We need a new secretary."

"Yes, sir, I'll do that. Do you need anything else?"

"Just leave and get it done."

The man left, closing the door behind him gently. Draco sunk into the soft leather of his chair and closed his eyes. This day had been one of the worst in all his twenty five years of life.

~

A young woman strode through the crowds of people in the wild night club. The place had an awful stench of beer, cigarettes, and who knows what else. She was dressed so scarcely that one would probably just go right ahead and say that she was nude. Her shiny brown hair framed a delicate face that was plastered with too much makeup. She looked as if she was hurrying somewhere and stopped only when she felt a rough hand grab her thigh. She spun around to see who it was. She didn't recognize him.

"Care to do a dance for me?"

She took used to her right hand to remove his grasp on her thigh. "Sorry, my shift's over."

Before the man could reply, she had already darted out of sight. The young woman entered a hallway which led to a dressing room.

"Hey, Pheonix," said another woman who putting on her clothes.

"Oh, god, Gwen, don't call me that."

"Ok, fine, _Harmony_. Happy now?"

Harmony's reply was a deep sigh. "Am I ever?"

"Hard night?"

"It's never easy."

"Don't be like that. One day, you're gonna get outta here, you hear me?"

She nodded and began to put on her own clothes quickly. 

"A nice girl like you don't deserve a life like this."

"Gwen?"

"What is it?"

"If I tell you something, will you promise not to laugh at me?"

"I promise, now tell me! Is something wrong?"

"Two days ago I found this newspaper that this guy dropped. And I found an ad in it. Like, a job thingy."

"What kinda job?"

"Well, a secretary."

Gwen looked at her friend with sadness in her eyes. "Honey, you don't have a high school diploma."

"Gwen! You promised you wouldn't laugh!"

"I ain't laughing."

"I just want to try. You know, just maybe I'll have a chance, right? You never know."

"So watcha gonna do?"

"I called the company from a pay phone and I made an appointment to see if maybe I could get the job."

Gwen's eyes opened wide. "Oh, my God! You're going in for a job interview?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"What are you gonna wear?"

"Well, I've been thinking about that. I was thinking that I could probably wear a white blouse and that plaid skirt I have."

"You mean that plaid _miniskirt_?"

Harmony nodded. "It's the longest one I have. And I've got nuthin' else."

"Well, lemme tell ya, if you wear that, they ain't gonna even let you in the building."

Harmony sighed. "Well what am I supposed to do?"

"Alright, Harmony, let's go shopping in the morning and we'll find you something suitable to wear, alright?"

"Alright."

"Wait, don't you hafta work tomorrow?"

"I already told the restaurant that I was gonna take the day off. They're good. They letcha have up to three days off in a year."

Gwen picked up her purse. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, alright? Be careful, don't cut through the alleys, ok? And get some sleep."

"See you."

~

"No, that's too expensive," said a very tired Harmony.

"It's only forty. Usually clothes like this cost hundreds. This is the cheapest secondhand store I know of!" Gwen said with authority.

"I can't. I really can't."

"Harmony, you wanna make a good impression don't you? It's all about first impressions!"

"But, my God, that's forty dollars!" She held out the suit in her hand. It was dark blue colored and came in two pieces. "I've never even touched something this formal before!"

"Well, that's how all the rich people dress."

"And I ain't rich, Gwen."

"I know you aren't. So -"

"I have to…save money…you know." Harmony's eyes suddenly watered up. "I just have to! And I can't waste it on something like this!"

Gwen looked her friend in the eyes. "I know, Harmony, I know. If you would have let me finish what I was saying I would have told what I'm gonna tell you now. I'll pay for it. Consider it as a present from me."

Harmony looked at friend, horrified. "No, you can't! I don't want it and I don't want you to pay for it."

"Well, watch me!"

After a lot more arguing, Harmony finally gave up and Gwen purchased the suit. She handed the bag over to Harmony and Harmony accepted it.

"Thanks, so much."

"You're gonna get this job, alright?"

Harmony nodded, but didn't seem so sure of herself.

"When are you going?"

"This afternoon, three fifteen."

"Well, I wish you lots of luck."

"Thanks," Harmony said appreciatively. "I'll see you tonight, ok?"

"Alright, see ya."

And with that, the two friends parted. Harmony sighed happily, envisioning herself getting the job. And with this suit, she would definitely have more chance of getting it. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't realize that someone was following her.

In a split second the shopping bag was torn out of her hands. She screamed in surprise and turned to see who it was. It was a boy, probably in his teens, and dressed in torn clothes. He laughed and then began to run off. Harmony did the only thing she could think of to do - run after him. She followed him down a very dirty alley and slipped on a garbage bag. She picked herself up and began to chase him again.

Unfortunately, high heels were not easy to run in. And unfortunately, Harmony happened to be wearing them.

"You get the fuck back here, you fucking bastard!" Harmony cried in vain as she turned a corner as disappeared from her sight.

She collapsed to the ground and cried. Forty dollars gone and no chance at getting the job anymore. It was about an hour later that she stood up and began to walk home on shaky legs.

~

It took her about an hour and a half to find the building. It was very tall and very new, probably built in recent years. She hurried inside and hoped that they wouldn't stop her from going in, as Gwen had told her. After all, she was dressed a bit…inappropriately to be in such a nice place as this was. Well, maybe it was alright. Everyone wore skirts and hers was only a bit shorter than theirs.

Inside, there were metal detectors and police officers sitting by each one. She hoped they wouldn't notice her or the way she dressed.

She passed through the metal detector with no problem and started up the stairs. The job interview was to be on the thirty fourth floor. By the time she had finally gotten there, she was so tired she could barely stand.

Harmony walked slowly up to the front desk, still breathing deeply, and the receptionist looked at her with her eyebrows arched.

"Can I help you?"

"Hi! I'm Harmony Grayer and I'm here for the job interview."

The receptionist, whom Harmony was beginning to dislike more and more scanned her from her head to her toes with a look of disgust.

"I'm sorry I look like such a mess, but thirty four floors are really hard to run up. How do you manage it?"

"Elevator. Ever heard of it?"

Harmony scowled and watched as the receptionist pulled a form from her desk and handed it to Harmony. "Fill it out and wait over there until they call your name."

Harmony took the form and a pen and walked over to where the receptionist had pointed. There she sat down and began to fill out the form. When she was done, she waited patiently until a man came out of the huge double doors and called her name.

She stood up quickly and straightened her clothes. When he saw her, he motioned for her to follow him into the room. The room was absolutely beautiful, she thought as she walked in. It was large, with a big long meeting table in the middle. The man sat down on one side and she sat down on the other side.

"Your form, please?" He reached his hand out.

She handed it to him and then sat back and folded her hands in her lap.

"Harmony Grayer?"

She nodded.

"I'm Charles Tabot, and I'm in charge of handling the job interviews."

"Ok."

"Have you had any experience in this field?"

"No, not really."

"Can I see your college diploma?"

"I never went to college."

He looked up at her. "High school diploma, then.'

Harmony felt very uneasy and very uncomfortable. "I don't have one."

"What kinds of jobs have you had or have right now?"

"Um…" Harmony licked her lips nervously, "I'm a bartender on some nights and I work at a restaurant in the day."

"Anything else?"

"Uh…I also…dance."

"What form of dancing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ballet? Swing?"

"Oh…" she blushed a deep crimson. "I'm like, uh, an exotic dancer."

Charles looked up and studied her closely. "Anything else?"

_Yeah, I used to be a hooker…_"No, nothing else. But, I can read and write and I can learn to do anything."

"Ms. Grayer, it was a pleasure having you here today, but unfortunately you don't have enough experience in this field of work. We'll keep your forms on file, and if something changes, you will be informed."

Charles stood up from his seat and Harmony did the same. He held the door open for her and she walked out, a feeling of hopelessness flooding through her. But she didn't show any emotion, at least not until she had fled the building. Then, in a flood of emotions, she buried her face in her hands and cried.

~

"Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco turned around at hearing his named being said. "Yes, Tabot?"

"I've found you a new secretary. But of course, I need to wait for your approval. Would you mind meeting her? She's in the conference room right now."

"Hmm…fine."

Draco followed Charles Tabot to the conference room and once they got there, Tabot opened the door to let Draco step in. Sitting inside was a middle aged woman with gray hairs showing through her very terribly dyed hair. Her eyes were small and round and her nose was very large. She looked like she was about two hundred pounds.

Draco, after taking one look at her walked out of the room, dragging Tabot by his collar.

"Who the hell is that?"

"Your new secretary," Tabot said meekly.

"_Her_?" Draco said this with disgust in his voice.

"She was the most qualified!"

"I don't really care about qualifications. Anybody can do the jobs that a secretary does."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to get rid of her."

"And then?"

"Find me a good looking girl for the job. I hate having to look at ugly people."

"There weren't any good looking young women who were qualified enough."

Draco sighed and glared at Tabot. "Didn't I make myself clear? I don't care about qualifications!"

"Well, there was one…but she was…"

"Was what?"

"She was dressed in this little miniskirt and looked like…a…nevermind. And she had absolutely no experience in this kind of work. For God's sake she didn't even have her high school diploma! She's not fit for this job!"

"Tabot, I will decide who is fit for the job, not you. Any other beautiful women?"

Tabot shook his head. "None that really comes close, no."

"Alright, then, give me her files."

Tabot looked at his boss questioningly. "Ok, let me find them."

He set his briefcase down and rummaged through the contents. Finally, he removed a piece of paper and handed it to Draco. "Here it is."

Draco grabbed the paper and scanned over it, frowning. "Harmony Grayer. No phone number. She didn't leave a phone number. Or her address."

"Yes, but she did leave a the address of the club she works at, if that's any help."

Draco smirked. "She sounds rather interesting. I think I'll pay that club a little visit. What time is it now?"

"It's eight o'clock," said Tabot, after glancing down at his watch.

"Prepare my car."

~

The smell of beer and cigarettes filled Draco's nose as he tentatively stepped into the wild club. It was crowded with people - a lot of people. He walked up to the bar and took a seat at one of the stools.

"Can I getcha anything?"

"Actually I was looking for someone."

The woman didn't answer. Draco took out his wallet and threw a crisp twenty dollar bill at her. She took it and stuffed it in her bra.

"Who you looking for?"

"A girl."

"This place is filled with girls."

"Harmony Grayer."

"Harmony Grayer?" She woman at the bar looked puzzled. She thought for a moment and then her mouth opened slightly as if she just realized something. "You mean Pheonix?"

"Uh…I suppose."

"She's around here somewhere. Probably fucking around."

"You know her phone number?"

"Nope. But I know where she lives."

"Where?"

The woman held out her hand expectantly. Draco sighed and pulled another twenty dollars out of his wallet. Money wasn't a problem for him.

"1473 Spruce, number 16, I believe."

"Thanks." Draco scribbled it down on a small piece of paper and then pulled another twenty out of his wallet and handed it to her. "I never spoke to you, alright?"

She nodded, took the twenty, and then moved on to get a beer for someone. Draco looked at the address on the paper. He had absolutely no idea where it was. His driver would just have to figure it out.

~

He knew before he arrived that this would not be a pretty place. But he had not been prepared for how absolutely hideous it looked. The apartment was in a very old and rundown part of the city. A part that he had never known ever existed.

He stepped out of his car and looked at his surroundings. Even though the sun was long gone and it was dark, he could still see that the ground was littered with trash. The apartment itself, though, was worse. It was old, beat up, and built of wood, from what Draco could see. Everything here was just so…dirty. And it smelled awful too, Draco realized. Like sewer water.

He wondered why he was even here. After all, he could find a secretary easily and didn't need to bring himself here to find one. But he realized that he was interested. Interested in what kind of person would live in a place like this. He had never realized that there were actually _poor_ people in the world. After all, he had grown up in the Malfoy Manor with many riches. It never occurred to him that there were people in the world who starved each day.

The apartment building was small and it didn't take him a very long time to find number 16. In fact, he found it almost instantly.

Draco walked up to the door and knocked gently. There was no answer. Well, of course there wouldn't be, he thought to himself. She was still at work. Curiously, he reached for the door knob and turned it. To his surprised, it turned and he pushed the door open. It creaked eerily and Draco thought it was definitely a bit creepy.

He stepped in and looked at his surroundings. The room was tiny, with a small stove in one corner and a sink next to it. There was not much furniture. Just a small beat up looking table and few chairs. Well, it's not like anything else would have fit anyway. There was a light switch, and he turned it. The light didn't come on. 

Through the darkness, he could make out two doors, one straight ahead and one to the side. He stepped forward and opened the door that was in front of him. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he saw that inside was a very rusty toilet and a very dirty looking shower place. Well, all of the apartment looked pretty dirty and rusty.

After seeing enough of the bathroom, he headed towards the other door. He opened it slowly. Inside, he saw that there was a twin size mattress on the ground and it was covered with some sheets. It was a tiny room, the mattress took up almost all the room. Draco realized that his closets at home were much bigger than the living room, the bathroom, and the bedroom combined.

Draco stepped cautiously into the room and scanned the darkness to see if there was anything besides the obvious mattress. His eyes settled on something, but he couldn't make out what it was. He squinted.

It was a pair of eyes.

He gasped in shock and fell backwards, landing on the wooden floor with a thud.

The eyes came closer. He realized that they were a deep blue. And he had to admit, he was a bit frightened, even if he was Draco Malfoy.

As it came closer, he realized that it had to be either a child, or a person on their knees. The person/thing whatever it was reached out a small hand. Draco slowly put his own hand up to meet it.

It was a child, he realized.

It opened its mouth. "My name is Elle."

It was such a small, delicate voice. Draco didn't know how to answer.

"I'm four years old," the young girl named Elle added. "But I'm almost five."

Draco kept quiet.

"Are you an angel?"

Silence.

"We really need one."

Draco listened to her childish and innocent words, but did not reply. The girl spoke no more, but just merely sat across from him and stared at him. He remained there for almost an eternity before he heard the front door creak open.

~

Harmony tiredly turned the knob on her door and stepped in. She strode over to the table where two large candles sat. She then reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a match. She struck the match on the side of the matchbox and carried the flame to the candles. Then she blew out the flame on the match.

"Baby? Are you sleeping?"

She heard scurrying of feet and realized that Elle was still awake.

"Mommy's home, Baby."

When she turned out, she came face to face with her daughter, who looked rather distraught. She knelt down and gave her a big bear hug.

"Mommy, there's an angel."

"What, Baby?"

"There's an angel in my room."

"What do you mean?" Harmony was starting to get worried. She wondered if her daughter was hallucinating.

"There's a man in my mom and I think he's an angel."

Harmony frowned and stood up quickly.

She hurried over to the cupboard and grabbed a frying pan. "Elle, baby, you listen to Mommy and go and stand over there by the door. If something happens, run for help, alright?"

Elle nodded and Harmony proceded to walk slowly towards the bedroom door. She seriously hoped that her daughter was lying and that there was nobody there, but she had a feeling that what Elle said was true. Maybe an angel had come. God knows they needed one.

She held onto the frying pan with her left hand, ready to swing. With her other hand, she cautiously reached for the door knob.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door. The room was dark and the only little bit of light came from the candle in her hand. She glanced around and saw that there was a figure in a dark corner of the room.

"Don't swing."

That voice…where had she heard it before?

The tall, dark figure held up his hands like he was surrendering and stepped out from the darkness into the light. Harmony's eyes opened and her mouth dropped as realization dawned on her.

"Oh, my God."

TBC

~

A/N: Ok, review and tell me what you think! Your feedback would be very appreciated!


	2. Can't Hide The Past

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

A/N: um…sorry its been so long. I've been real busy w/ school. This chapter makes no sense and the real plot doesn't really come until later. This chapter sorta is just some random stuff and it's rather short…but oh well. It sorta has the plot of this one movie I saw like 5 yrs ago, but not really. Um…this chap is kinda boring but I hope the next one will be somewhat better. I'm kinda not in the mood to write cuz I have finals this week, starting on Tuesday. Can you believe it? Our idiot school has finals AFTER winter break so we can use the 2 weeks to forget everything we've ever learned. Ok, I'll stop complaining.

Thanks to the ppl who reviewed: **Veronica*James, im2damnhorny, Book-Lover-210, Dark Fairy, SilverDragoness08, DMRox, glory, Emma, Serena, silver dragonfly, Moon Assassin 13, Kori Bischoff, animegirl-mika, depth, linnetjo, Late-Summer-Night, Alicia DeBroux, hermioneG89, CedricDiggory, Dalla, Rosa, Riverchic1998, AlyBaby, um…no name, AllyCatHerm19, Andrea, Slim-Shady-Modeling-Baby, Lulu, Anegel Trinton, cleavercat, draco-hermione-shipper, Romantic Fool, Karin, hannah, Major Malfoy, BlossomsthatCloudtheSky, Chelsea, and anyone I might have missed**

~

When There Are No More Tears

Chapter 2

"Oh, my God."

"I'm sorry, Miss. I'm not a burglar or anything if that's what you're th-"

"-_Oh, my God!_"

"I really am very sorry, Miss, if I scared you. I'm from -"

"-Oh, my God!"

"I really meant no harm. I came to-"

"_What are you doing here, Malfoy?_"

Her question was followed by a very pregnant pause. Draco furrowed his eyebrows, as he always did when he was confused.

"Is there something going on here that I don't know about? Because I don't know you, but you seem to know me."

"Is this your idea of a dirty joke, Malfoy?"

"Uh…I wouldn't know." He glanced around nervously, and felt very…unprotected. "I'm really truly sorry, Miss, but I don't know you?" 

Harmony could tell that he was honestly bewildered, and her expression softened a bit.

"Open your eyes, Malfoy. Who do you think I am?" She had dropped the pan on the floor and now had her hands on her hips.

He scrunched his eyes and studied her closely in the poor light, but still could not find any familiarity. "Er…are you sure I know you?"

"Mudblood? Does that ring a bell?"

"_Mudblood?_"

"Do you need me to spell it out for you?" she asked, with a hint of sarcasm.

He leaned closer to her to get a better look, and then finally it struck him. "_Granger?_"

She rolled her eyes. "Pleased to meet you too. Now leave."

"What?"

"Do you need me to show you to the door?"

"No, I mean, is it really you?"

"Cut the crap, Malfoy. What do you want?"

"What happened to _you_?" he asked with disbelief in his voice.

Her face suddenly softened with a pained expression and her eyes became overbright. "What do you mean? Nothing's happened to me."

"You're-you're-"

She stared at her feet. "You mean, how _I_, Miss-Know-It all-Granger, ended up like this?"

"Yeah," said Draco, seeing the painful look she had on her face.

She forced a smile. "It's a long story."

"Well, I've got plenty of time."

Just then, a small voice came from behind her. "Mommy?"

"Come on out, Malfoy." She signaled for him to follow her out of the room. She walked towards the small fragile girl leaning against the front door. "Hey, Elle, baby, I think you need to go to bed now, alright?"

"Ok, Mommy," she said before she scrambled out of the living room and into the bedroom.

"Have a seat," Harmony said, motioning at one of the chairs around the table. Draco did as she said. "Would you like some coffee?"

"That would be great."

He watched her intently as she worked in the tiny kitchen. A strand of chestnut brown hair fell loose from her tight ponytail, and she tucked it behind her ear with one graceful move of her hand. The Hermione Granger he knew was never graceful. In fact, she was rather clumsy as he remembered. This couldn't be her, but yet, it _was_ her. The Hermione Granger he knew was studious, and although he hated to admit it, she was very brilliant. So how did such an intelligent girl end up like this?

A few minutes later, she brought two mugs of hot coffee to the table and handed one to him. "Here's yours."

She sat across from him and began sipping slowly, and it was Draco who spoke up first.

"Harmony Grayer. Hermione Granger. Sounds close enough."

"Yeah, I thought so too. I wanted to be a different person, with a different identity, but at the time I was rather unwilling to let go of my past so I finally decided to compromise it."

"So what's up with Pheonix?"

She blushed. "So you went to the club. You see, all the employees hafta have use different name than their own, which is like, totally retarded in my opinion. They wanted to call me Nymph or something like that, and I was like, hell no!"

"And?"

"And I asked them if I could come up with something on my own, and they agreed, if you can believe it. It's kinda stupid, huh?"

"How'd you come up with Pheonix?"

She stared at the ceiling as if looking for a lost memory. "I dunno. I guess…well, at the moment, I just started a new life…like…when a pheonix dies and is reborn again. I guess I was sorta reborn again too. I'm sorry, I'm not making any sense today."

"I understand."

"And a pheonix gives you hope when you need it. And I really needed it, you know, desperately."

He stared at her before he asked his next question. "Tell me what happened."

"I don't know."

"Why did you leave?"

"Why do you care? Haven't you always hated us 'mudbloods' for supposedly tainting the wizarding world?"

"I'm not like that anymore," he said, although the truth was far from that. He had only been getting closer and closer to the dark side in the past few years. "I've been living in the muggle world for the past six years-"

A sudden laughter sprang from her. "The _muggle_ world? Draco Malfoy living in the _muggle_ world? What could be weirder than that?"

Her laughter angered him. After all, nobody made fun of a Malfoy. "I'll tell you what's weirder than that - finding Hogwart's brightest student making money off of - "

"Stop!" she cried, covering her ears.

Seeing her pained expression, his anger evaporated. _Damn, Draco you're such a softie_, he told himself. "Tell me - tell me what happened."

Hermione took a deep breath. "I was Head Girl, you know. And everything was so _perfect_. I had my whole life in front of me. And then in the middle of the seventh year, I lost everything."

"When Lord Voldemort attacked?"

"Yes," she said in a small, shaky voice. "I remember that day so well. It was night time, and the three of us were in the library. I remember telling Harry and Ron that they needed to study for the Transfiguration test. And then…there was this loud boom and everyone panicked. We were called into the Great Hall and Dumbledore told us…that the death eaters were on their way. And then when they came…they almost destroyed the school."

"I remember."

"The day after the attack, Dumbledore called me, Harry, and Ron to his office. He told us that he wanted us to help fight for the light side, because we were the three most powerful students in the school. _How could we say no?_ So we were gone the next day."

"Why did Dumbledore not call on me? I was the Head Boy."

"Your family is much too far into the dark arts. The ministry couldn't trust you."

_And they're right_, he thought to himself. "Oh."

"Before even a week had passed, Ron was critically wounded from a blow to the head, and they sent him off to St. Mungo's. And then it was just me…and Harry." She swallowed hard, trying to push back all the tears. "Oh, God, I can't believe I'm sitting here talking to _you_ about this. You're the first one I've ever told and you're _Malfoy_. Everything is so messed up!"

"What's wrong with me?" asked Draco, trying to look hurt. "But, continue."

"During the second week, I had heard that the death eaters were killing the families of many of the light side's fighters. Many families were going under protection because someone in their family was on the battlefield. I asked, _no_, I _begged_ for them to put my parents under protection. Cornelius Fudge, he said no. Do you know what that bastard told me? He told me that my parents were not important enough. Only wizarding families could be put under protection, he said. He fuckin' told me that my parents weren't important enough to be protected. Can you believe that?"

"Seems like the thing for Fudge to say," he replied, snorting. Cornelius Fudge definitely wasn't his favorite person in the world.

Hermione paused and swallowed hard before continuing on. "They died a week later. Their bodies were found tortured and mutilated beyond imagination. I had lost almost everything."

"What did you have left?"

There was a slight pause. "Harry."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Week number six we were winning. Harry supposedly had already defeated Voldemort, but the death eaters would not stop. They kept killing…and killing…and killing, even though their master was dead. Hell, I don't even know if he's dead. Maybe he's still out there somewhere, waiting to get stronger." She had a faraway look in her eyes, but then it slowly faded to guilt. "Then one day, just when we thought that the war was over…we were on the way back to Hogwarts…Harry and I stumbled into an ambush. I don't know exactly what the death eaters wanted…maybe they just wanted to kill us."

_They thought he had the ring…_Draco thought silently.

Hermione couldn't stop the tears anymore. They were now flowing freely down her face. "And…I watched…"

She licked her lips, as if to stall time. "I watched…as he died in my arms. I remember feeling so _hopeless_ and _stupid_ because I couldn't stop him from dying. Me, the supposedly smartest witch in Hogwarts for a century. And I couldn't help him…" her voice faltered.

"It wasn't your fault."

"You don't understand, Malfoy. It _was_ my fault. After getting back to Hogwarts, I remembered I had missed a day of Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts earlier in that year because I had overslept for some obscure reason. I learned that the curriculum that was learned that day was all about the curse that had killed Harry. And counter curse was so simple. It was _so_ _simple_. Even Neville could have performed it without a single flaw. If I hadn't overslept, I would have learned about it, and Harry would still be alive," she said bitterly.

"Did you love him?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper.

"Yes, so much. More than anything."

"Why did you leave?"

"I don't know. I felt…betrayed. I had nothing left, nothing to live for. My parents were dead…because of Fudge, and I hated him. I still hate him. And Harry, he was gone too. And Ron, poor Ron, he was in a coma at St. Mungo's. The doctors said he would probably never wake up. I felt so betrayed by the wizarding world. I had done everything for the Ministry and then I had lost everything because of that. I risked my life to fight for the Ministry, and how did they repay me? By taking away the lives of everyone I ever cared about! So…I left."

"Dumbledore didn't stop you?"

"He didn't know. I packed up one night, slipped on Harry's invisibility cloak…and I was gone. What was Hogwarts like afterwards? Did he appoint a new Head Girl?"

"No, he didn't. Everyone wondered where you were. The magnificent trio, all gone. They looked for you, too. For months. And then they just gave up. Where _did_ you go?"

"I had some money saved in my bank account in the muggle world. I took out all the money, bought myself a one way plane ticket for the U.S, and I never looked back."

"Wow."

"The ticket had eaten up most of my money, and by the time I arrived, I had virtually no posessions left. I was living on the streets, starving."

"What did you do then?"

"What could I do? I had nothing except myself. So I - I sold my body," she said, ducking her head in shame.

Draco stared at her in disbelief. "You were a _prostitute_?"

"I couldn't find any jobs, what the hell was I supposed to do?"

"Of course you can find jobs! They're everywhere!"

"No, for one, you need at least a high school diploma!"

"You went to school!"

"Of course I did! But what do you expect me to say at the job interview? 'I went to Hogwarts, and by the way, I'm a witch'?"

"I still can't imagine…you…a hooker? I'd never have thought."

Hermione laughed bitterly. "If someone had told me back in Hogwarts that I would one day become like that, I would have laughed in their face!"

"You were such a good student, so much potential, even I had to admit."

"I remember myself in my Hogwarts days. I was rather snobbish, you know. I thought I was the smartest and the best little role model for the younger students. I remember denouncing all those girls in school who were, well, _loose_. I remember looking down at them, and feeling and acting so superior to them."

"Life's quite ironic, don't you think?"

"Definitely. I never thought I'd lower myself to their level. Selling my body for money," she sighed

"Who's Elle's father?"

"I don't know."

"C'mon, you must know!"

"I seriously don't know. Do you know how many customers I had a day at that time? I can't remember. She wasn't supposed to happen. I was young and stupid. She was complete a mistake."

"I hope you didn't tell her that."

"I love my daughter," she said, defending herself.

"I'm sure you do," he said, unconvinced.

"After…her…I decided I needed to find a different job. I actually found a job at a restaurant, and I worked there for a while. And now, I'm just working a ton of various jobs, trying to earn money," she said and then added, "I need money."

"Which is why you applied for the job of a secretary."

She looked at him, shocked. "How you do know?"

"Uh…because I _own_ that company."

"Oh, my God! Are you _serious_?" She began to laugh. "Draco Malfoy, owner of a _muggle_ corporation?"

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. So, why'd you track me down?"

"Well, I didn't know you were you! I thought you were Harmony Grayer."

"I see," she said. "It's funny. Here I am sitting, telling my archenemy recaps of my life that I've never told anyone about. This all seems like one big dream. I wish it was just a dream. But too bad you can't always have what you wish."

"So you're in need of money?" Draco asked, as a plan began to form in his mind.

"Yes. You wanna help me out?"

"How would you like me to help you out?"

"Well, if you told me that I got the job as a secretary, that would really be helping me out," she said, putting on her biggest smile.

"What do you need all that money for anyway?"

Hermione's face clouded over suddenly. "I…I just need the money. I really need money. I really do."

She jumped up from the chair and hurried into the bedroom and then came out a minute later with a wooden box. She set the box on the table, in front of a very confused Draco, and opened it. Inside was a thick stack of cash.

"This is all my savings. I have exactly six thousand, four hundred, and twenty seven dollars. I've been saving it for _years_."

"That's all?" he asked with surprise, and then immediately wished he could take it back.

She sighed slowly and her face fell. "I know it's not much, and I have so much more to go, but time is running out, and I don't know what to do!"

"What time is running out? What are you talking about?"

She swallowed hard and then shook her head. "Nothing, nothing. Just forget I mentioned it, alright?"

"No, you can tell me."

"You wouldn't understand."

"I understand."

"Well, I don't understand, alright? I don't understand why I had to end up like this. What the hell did I ever do?"

"You're not making sense."

"I told you not to listen to me."

"I want to listen."

She buried her face in her hands and her body shook as emotion took over her. "I need money, as much as I can get. I've been working my butt off for the past years and the amount I've saved up is pitiful!"

And then, suddenly, an idea hit him. "Tell me, Granger, how far would you go for money?"

She brought her face out of her hands and her red, swollen eyes stared at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"What would you be willing to do to gain enough money?"

"Everything and anything," she said without hesitation. And then, narrowing her eyes, she added, "Why?"

Draco's mouth twisted up into one of his infamous smirks. "What if I told you I would pay you any amount of money you desire if you would do something for me?"

There was a small pause in which Hermione considered this very carefully. "What do you have in mind?"

Draco's grin grew wider as he opened his mouth to reply.

"Will you be my wife?"

TBC

~

A/N: ok, kinda boring, but next chap will be more interesting, hopefully. I'm kinda in a dreary mood, so everything I'm writing is going to be dreary and boring. Sorry to you ppl. Well, if you could take the time to review, that would be real nice. Well, ciao!


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